Modern Youth Apprenticeship ROI Brings Colorado Businesses Back for More

DENVER – January 10, 2018 – CareerWise Colorado, a business-led nonprofit implementing a statewide, three-year modern youth-apprenticeship program for high school students, today announced more than twenty-five current business partners—businesses that currently employ apprentices from the 2017 cohort—are posting new apprenticeship positions for 2018.

“More than half of our existing business partners have renewed their partnership with CareerWise for a second cohort, and others are strategically spacing their apprenticeship talent pipeline over a number of years,” said Brad Revare, CareerWise’s director of business partnerships. “These are corporations that have test-driven CareerWise’s modern youth-apprenticeship model and have quickly realized the benefits of the program to their operations and bottom line. CareerWise is laser-focused on business success and satisfaction with their apprentices and these renewals are very encouraging in terms of early results.”

The apprenticeship positions begin in summer or fall of 2018 as apprentices are typically entering their junior year of high school. The apprentices are with the company for three years with increasing on-site hours each year, approximately two days a week in the first year, three days a week in the second and at least three days a week in the third year. While in the workplace, apprentices perform meaningful, productive work for their department while earning a training wage and achieving the competencies for positions in one of five CareerWise pathways: Healthcare, Information Technology, Business Operations, Advanced Manufacturing and Financial Services.

“Our apprentices are productive, conscientious employees,” said Bryan Heft, who oversees the apprenticeship program at Colorado-based global technology company Arrow Electronics. “The experience with our current youth apprentices have demonstrated tangible business ROI in the short term, and strategic talent pipeline development for the long term.”

CareerWise facilitates apprenticeship by recruiting students so that the company’s competitive hiring process has high-quality apprenticeship candidates and manages communication between industry and education, including schedule management, competency training plans and the application of student credit towards graduation requirements.
The returning CareerWise business partners for 2018 are:

Arrow Electronics City of Grand Junction
CU Denver | Anschutz DaVita
DH Wholesale Signs DT Swiss
EKS&H Geotech Environmental
Gordon Sign HomeAdvisor
Intertech Medical Intertech Plastics
Mesa 51 Mile High United Way
Monument Health Nordson Medical
Prostar Geocorp Research Electro-Optics
SAS Manufacturing SAS Manufacturing
Skillful Stonebridge
Swiftpage TeleTech
Western States Fire Protection

 

CareerWise also added business partners for 2018 positions that are new to the program including Janus Henderson Investors, Otter Products and SAVA Senior Care.

CareerWise is still recruiting businesses for the 2018 apprentice cohort. For more information, contact Brad Revare at bradley.revare@careerwisecolorado.org or (913) 579-7556.

 About CareerWise Colorado
CareerWise Colorado is building a statewide system of youth apprenticeships that create pathways for students to access high-demand, high-paying careers at leading Colorado companies. Student apprentices work toward high school graduation and earn postsecondary credit, industry credentials or both in their chosen career path. Established by the Business Experiential-Learning (BEL) Commission created by Gov. John Hickenlooper and chaired by Noel Ginsburg of Intertech Plastics, CareerWise Colorado is launching in school districts in metro Denver, Fort Collins and the Western Slope. 20,000 youth apprentices, or about 10 percent of Colorado students in their last two years of high school, are expected to participate by 2027. More information about CareerWise Colorado is available at www.careerwisecolorado.org.

Media Contact:
Jason Jansky, CareerWise Colorado
(303) 748-3300 | jason.jansky@careerwisecolorado.org